Guest Chef

In the late 1970s, Filipino-born Archie Alpenia left his job as an accomplished chef in California and moved to the Puerto Vallarta area with his wife and children, settling in nearby Quimixto. Archie eventually worked as director John Huston’s chef, and in 1986 opened his own restaurant near the beach in Vallarta’s Romantic Zone. Dubbed “Archie’s Wok” and serving Filipino dishes fused with other Asian cuisines, it was one of the first foreign-owned restaurants in town. Archie’s Wok is still open, and is one of the most popular places to eat in PV.

This was the first in a long tradition of great chefs moving to Puerto Vallarta from elsewhere in Mexico and around the world. Many others have followed in Archie’s footsteps, such as Juan Carlos Amutio, Thierry Blouet, Bernhard Guth, Rafael Nazario, and the late Roger Dreier.

The Guest Chef section is an inside look at some of the best chefs working in Vallarta today, and a chance for them to share their knowledge, recipes, and thoughts with you.